Professor Kimani C. Toussaint

K. C. Toussaint, Jr., Ph.D. is a Professor in the School of Engineering at Brown University with appointments in Electrical and Computer Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. He is the Senior Associate Dean in the Brown University School of Engineering beginning August 1st, 2020, the Thomas J. Watson, Sr. Professor of Science in June 2023 and he is also the Director of the  Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health. Prior to joining Brown, Dr. Toussaint was on faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for 12 years, where he rose to the rank of Professor in the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering. Dr. Toussaint directs the laboratory for Photonics Research of Bio/nano Environments (PROBE Lab), an interdisciplinary research group which focuses on both developing nonlinear optical imaging techniques for quantitative assessment of biological tissues, and novel methods for harnessing plasmonic nanostructures for light-driven control of matter. He is a recipient of a 2010 NSF CAREER Award, the 2014-2015 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Visiting Associate Professor at MIT, the 2015 Illinois Dean’s Award for Excellence in Research, the 2017 Illinois Everitt Award for Teaching Excellence, the 2019 Distinguished Promotion Award,  and the 2023 Hazeltine Innovation Award. Dr. Toussaint is also a Fellow of the OSA and SPIE, and Senior Member in the IEEE. In addition, he served as the PI and inaugural Director of the US National Science Foundation (NSF) Nanomanufacturing (nanoMFG) Node at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 2017-2019.

Dr. Toussaint is also part of CELL-MET, a multi-institutional National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center in Cellular Metamaterials (EEC-1647837). CELL-MET aims to grow functional and clinically significant heart tissue while simultaneously developing a talented and diverse workforce to tackle future challenges in synthetic tissues engineering.

Current Members

Lab Manager

Collin Polucha

Collin Polucha received his BS in Animal Science From the University of Rhode Island in 2011. He has an extensive research background as an in vivo surgeon working on many projects that include: macular degeneration, cardiovascular regeneration, tissue imaging and inner ear disorders. Collin joined the Probe Lab in 2023 in the role of lab manager.

Senior Research Associate

Mbaye Diouf

Mbaye Diouf received his Ph.D. in 2017, from the University of Cheikh Anta Diop, Senegal/Engineering School of Communication of Tunis, Tunisia. He is a senior research associate at Brown University, School of Engineering where he almost single-handedly designed and built the PROBE Lab and has trained and mentored many of the lab’s students. His current and future research will broadly target optics and photonics, including nonlinear optics, space time wave packets, multiphoton microscopy, light sheet microscopy, and supercontinuum laser sources. In addition, he has been a critical contributor for the development of a pulse oximeter that will work accurately across all skin tones. He co-invented the prototype currently being tested in a Rhode Island hospital drawing considerable media attention and leading to a filed patent. He is an active member of OPTICA. Trilingual in Wolof, French, and English, Diouf intends to prioritize DEI in his research, teaching, and leadership, particularly for those on the periphery of higher education.

Post Doc

Joshua Burrow

Joshua Burrow received his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Electro-Optics from the University of Dayton in 2015 and 2021, respectively. He received his B.S. degrees in Mathematics and Physics from Morehouse College in 2012. During his doctoral study, he was awarded the Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine for his notable research and impactful DEI and STEM outreach activities. He is a member of Optica (formerly OSA), SPIE, APS, IEEE Photonics, and the National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP). From 2017 to 2019, he served as the Student Representative and Executive Board Member of the NSBP. In addition, he has organized over 10 conferences and workshops, including the 2018 OSA International OSA Network of Students Midwest Conference and 2019 ComSciCon-AIP Workshop. He joined the PROBE Lab as a Hibbitt Post-Doctoral Research Fellow in October of 2021. His research interests are in optics and photonics including light-matter interactions in nanomaterials, nanofabrication, nanomanufacturing, non-destructive material characterization, spectroscopy, microscopy, opto-chirality, and particle trapping. Outside of the lab, Joshua enjoys photography, graphic design, music, traveling, playing basketball, watching the Baltimore Ravens, and mentoring aspiring scientists and engineers.

Graduate Students

Zixi Lin

Zixi Lin is a PhD student in Biomedical Engineering at Brown University. She received a Bachelor of Science degree from Peking University in China in July, 2018. Her research focuses on nonlinear optical imaging of biological tissues and image analysis of complex fiber structures. She likes playing yoga, reading detective novels and playing the piano.

Adriana C. Salazar Coariti

Adriana C. Salazar Coariti is Research Coordinator and Probe lab manager at Brown University. She received her B.S. in mechanical engineering from the Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She assists with the lab equipment management, and research. Adriana has experience in software development, data analytics and algorithm development. Previously, she worked in the Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning in the University of Illinois supporting online classes websites and CityHook in Dublin, Ireland helping analyze transportation data. In research, she has experience with beam alignment, two photon lithography and image processing. Topics she finds fascinating are: biomedical devices, nanotechnology, optics, materials, robotics and STEM education. Adriana was born and raised at 11,942 feet above sea level in La Paz, Bolivia. She finds joy reading the bible, swimming, listening to music, singing, hiking and cooking.

Krishangi Krishna

Krishangi is a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering department at the PROBE Lab. She received her B.E in BME from Stony Brook University. Her previous research experience involved developing a protocol to develop plastic microfluidic chips that could potentially be used for biomedical applications such as digital PCR. Currently she is researching on non-linear optics for tissue fibers. Krishangi’s other interests involve exploring new places, reading, and electronic music.

Andrew Howes

Andrew Howes is a PhD student in the Biotechnology PhD program and a member of the PROBE lab. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Biochemistry from Case Western Reserve University in 2016 and his Masters of Science in Biotechnology from Brown University in 2018. His previous research experience includes developing self-assembled microtissues for 3D in vitro cell culture models. He is also interested in research in tissue engineering, fibrosis, and drug development. His hobbies include swimming, cooking, traveling and watching sports.

Mitchell Harling

Mitchell Harling is a PhD student in the Biomedical Engineering program and member of the PROBE Lab. He received his B.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Maine in May 2020. His previous research experience focused on the nonlinear optical imaging of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and subsequent image analysis to investigate ECM alterations in diseased states. Outside of research, Mitchell plans to make an impact by developing and/or aligning with STEM outreach programs that are invested in engaging with historically underrepresented groups. His other interests include listening to music, reading, cooking, and hiking. 

Jieliyue Sun

Jieliyue Sun is a PhD student in the Electrical and Computer Engineering program and a member of the PROBE lab. She received her Bachelor of Engineering degree in Opto-Electronics Information Science and Engineering from Zhejiang University, China in June, 2020. Her previous research experience involved developing mid-infrared photothermal microscopy for chemical histology. She is also interested in super-resolution imaging and data processing. Her hobbies include musicals, badminton, traveling and vlogging.

Rutendo Jakachira

Rutendo Jakachira is a PhD student in the Physics program and member of the PROBE Lab. She received her B.S. in Physics from Drew University in December 2019. Her previous research experience focused on using linear confocal microscopy to image diseased skin cells in vivo. She also did work in non-linear optics where she developed waveguides in glass using a femtosecond laser. Rutendo’s hobbies include exploring new restaurants, reading and traveling.

Seokkee Min

Seokkee Min is a ScM student in the Biomedical Engineering department. He received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University. His previous experience includes but is not limited to the medical device industry and academia in topics such as drug delivery, wearables, long-term gastrointestinal retention and actuation, rapid prototyping, and closed-loop control. His current research in the PROBE Lab focuses on fabrication and analysis of optical tissue phantoms. Hobbies include mountaineering, cooking, snowboarding, and fishing.

Undergraduates

Chandler Stevenson

Gannon Lemaster

Gabrielle Dedier

Alumni

Teniola Oguntolu

Qing Ding

Woowon Lee

Mohammad Mahfuzul Kabir

Hemangg Singh Rajput

Varun Kelkar

Abdul Monnaf Bhuiya

Jie Yee Chan

Hao Chen

Aakash Choubal

Naja Edwards

Yang Hu

Gopala Krishna Inavalli

Kaspar Ko

Ryan Kovarik

Tony Tung Yuen Lau

Scott Leithem

David Luedtke

Donald Magnani

David McDonald

Monal Mehta

Erik Misawa

Chukwuemeka Okoro

Rafael Ramirez

Raghu Ambekar Ramachandra Rao

Sara Rios

Brian Roxworthy

Nalwanda Shamutete

Santosh Tripathi

Mehdi Zaman